


Ticket for Life

by PyaarIshq381



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Attempted Kidnapping, BAMF Bilbo Baggins, Baby Frodo, Baby Kíli, Bilbo's Amazing Cooking, Canonical Character Death(s), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally Constipated Thorin, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Good Parent Bilbo Baggins, Kid Fic, Kid Fili, Parent Bilbo Baggins, Protective Bilbo Baggins, Protective Thorin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-06 05:56:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6741388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PyaarIshq381/pseuds/PyaarIshq381
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo finds dwarf children in the shire and does what Bilbo does best!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Bilbo Baggins and the Most Unexpected Night](https://archiveofourown.org/works/648239) by [Cloud_Nine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cloud_Nine/pseuds/Cloud_Nine). 



> Bilbo makes a surprise discovery after a harrowing day.

If Bilbo never had to see Lobelia Bracegirdle ever again, it would still be a moment too soon!

Sell Bag End ?

... to her of all people ?

Over his dead body!!!

Just because Otho stupidly allowed himself to get caught up in her scheming and greedy ways, did not mean the rest them had to suffer for his folly, thought the gentle-hobbit irritably to himself as he furiously marched his way through Bywater;

..having crossed the East road from the direction of Tuckborough.

  
Before long, he would reach Bagshot Row, situated at the bottom of the hill whereupon his hobbit hole was built.  
He just couldn't wait to get back home after the day he'd had. 

  
Not even the sight of the gentle rolling hills of Hobbiton, golden green in the fading light of the autumnal sun, was enough to soothe his frazzled mental state

Honestly!

  
The sheer nerve of that witch continued to astound him!

It was a well known fact, as sure as the reality that hobbits loved mushrooms, that Lobelia Bracegirdle, soon to be Sackville- Baggins, had always desired Bag-End...

  
... that is, from as far back as Bilbo could remember.

  
There wherein lay all the troubles of young Bilbo's life!

  
Sometimes, he wished his father never built the bloody place in the first place...

  
... times like now for instance.

  
Fortunately those days were few and far between, because Bilbo truly loved his home.

  
Unfortunately for him , so did Lobelia!

 

As fauntlings, Lobelia had doggedly hounded the young Baggins lad, threatening to marry Bilbo when they came of age.

  
Many a times, a horrified Bilbo had run home to Belladonna and Bungo, crying in desolation at the thought of a future with Lobelia as his wife.

He had refused to be consoled for an age by his initially amused, then rather exasperated parents .  
As a result, Belladonna had tried, several times, to impress upon Primrose, the toll Lobelia's stalking was taking upon poor Bilbo...

  
...yet despite the stern warnings from her mother, the little hobbit lass had remained determined in her relentless pursuit of her wretched and very reluctant prey

  
Bilbo truly believed that his intense reluctance to settle down and determination to remain a bachelor stemmed from Lobelia.

  
She'd persisted in her pursuit of him ( _more viciously when he'd come of age a couple of years ago_ ), until quite recently, when someone let slip that Otho, Bilbo first cousin from his father's side, had a soft spot for her.

  
Surprisingly, for many.... including a relieved Bilbo, Lobelia turned her concentrated attentions to Otho, the chasing of Bilbo ceasing as a result ... and she was now affianced.

  
However, Bag End still remained in her sights and she was now determined to get it through Otho.

  
Poor sod, sighed Bilbo, as his temper immediately deflated and his pace lessened  at the thought of the sad fate that awaited his cousin at the hands of the harpy.

  
Whilst Otho was a nice lad and Bilbo liked him well enough ( _he was a particularly good fishing partner_ ) ,Bilbo was honest enough to admit that he wasn't as close to Otho as he was to his other cousins Aldagrim, Drogo and Odo.

  
Still, he cared for his cousin and bemoaned the fact that in that union to come , Lobelia was going to eat his cousin alive!

 

He shuddered at that thought.

  
If he'd known that Lobelia had been invited to his cousin Bryony Took's coming of age birthday party at Tuckborough, he'd have definitely given it a miss; even when it meant risking the wrath of his grandmother Adamanta ...her temper as terrifying as it was.

  
Therefore, he'd spent the whole time at the do, dodging the woman, who had been determined to convince him to give Bag End to her and Otho as a wedding gift; an already long suffering Otho, who had had the grace to look apologetic, being towed behind her as if in support of her case.

 

_“It is unseemly that such a family worthy house should be entailed to a bachelor, when it can be put to better use by a newly wedded pair!_

 

The audacity...!!!

 

So caught up was he, in his glum musings of Lobelia and her brazenness, that it almost didn't register to him that there was some muffled whimpering coming from a cluster of bushes and shrubs he'd just gone by.

  
He'd just passed Bywater Pool, the sky was approaching dusk, home and dinner, ( _his displeased hobbit stomach was quick to remind him_ ) were half an hour away and he was eager to get home.

  
However, some sixth sense made him stop and take pause ( _rather than disregarding it and hurrying onwards, as he first thought to do_ ), as the very faint sound carried, again, to his sharp Hobbit ears.

He listened intently, even when he was not sure that he wasn't just imagining things ( _one could only hope_ ) .

  
Then ...

 

...nothing.

  
Just as he was about to dismiss the sound he'd heard as maybe being a fox cub or something the sort, ...and setting off again, a familiar wail came from the bush.

  
Bilbo jerked back in surprise as he recognised the distinct cry of an infant.

  
What in the name of the Green Lady was an infant doing out alone in the bushes?

 

And quite a bit away from any form of civilisation or shelter?

  
The nearest dwelling was at least fifteen minutes either way of Bilbo's location, and though there really wasn't any danger in the Shire, especially in Hobbiton, it still was a strange thing for a baby be outside this late .

 

And in a bush, on top of that!

 

That was indeed odd and quite unsettling.

  
As he crept closer to investigate the, quite frankly, queer situation he now found himself involved in , another wail much louder and more insistent came from the bush and any shadow of doubt he'd had, as to the source of the noise was utterly wiped as the baby's distressed cry carried on the late autumn wind .

 

“S's's'sh Kee...” he heard a small and lispy childlike voice sooth frantically as Bilbo finally reached the bush where the cry had come from,

 

“...you's gots'ta keep quiet. We'll be founded."

 

“Found by whom?” Bilbo enquired rather sternly,  as he brushed a branch aside to address the wayward fauntling who was stupid enough to be out this late...

  
….and with a baby at that!

  
'Their parents must be worried sick' , thought Bilbo sympathetically

For all his trouble, Bilbo was astonished to find that when he looked down, a short blade was aimed at his rather 'healthy' gut .

  
Crouched defensively before him, one arm barely supporting the baby who sat teetering and ogling owlishly at Bilbo ( _the baby had obviously been stunned into silence by Bilbo's sudden appearance_ ), and the other unsteadily brandishing the weapon at the Hobbit; was a dishevelled blond haired little boy.

  
What took Bilbo back though, that is, apart from the actuality of a child barely 8 years of a fauntling age brandishing a dangerous knife at him, was the fact that the said child was clearly not a fauntling.

  
The boy was distinctly wearing boots ( _any form of footwear was  most frowned upon in the Shire. It was just unseemly_ ), was too small and too compact to be a child of men ( _Bilbo had some experience with dealing with the children of men from his travels to Bree on business_ ) ...

  
...but most shocking and telling of all , the lad possessed a few wispy hair on his chin and jawline .

  
Huh... !!

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened next!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry about the delay with the update for this fic. RL got in the way BIG TIME and I have to admit that I had a real struggle with the follow up to the last chapter. I am not truly satisfied with this chapter and might re-edit it but at the moment this is what I have managed wrangle up.

It was quite late into the night that Bilbo, at length, had the opportunity to sink into the warm and comfortable embrace of his most favoured chair;

  
...which was, _'incidentally',_ situated perfectly before the hearth in his parlour.

  
He expelled a deep and weary sigh as his body slumped back into the cushioned backrest -  appreciative of his first true respite, following his return to Bag End in a whirlwind of unleashed activity;

...before reaching for his pipe ( _gifted to him by the Old Took on his coming of age day_ ) and snuff box ( _his father's_ ) from a small oak table ( _also from the Old Too_ k) conveniently arranged next to his chair for the sole purpose of keeping his pipe and weed within arm's reach.

  
He lit up, taking a leisurely breath of Old Toby, relishing the sweet and earthy aroma of the Longbottom leaf, and felt something ;

  
... a knot of anxiety? ...tension ?

 

… or some other perception yet indefinable, loosen within him; leaving his body to simmer down back into a more familiar rhythm.

  
His homely round features softened, painting an image ne'er ethereal- illuminated as they were, by the soft glowing embers remnant from the raging furnace Bilbo had first lit to chase the autumn chill that always managed to settle on his hobbit hole when evening came.

  
Usually a small fire, warm blanket and a hot cup tea  was sufficient for Bilbo's comfort as he retired for the day, however, with the unplanned addition of his young guests, he'd had more reason for ensuring  that his smial was warmed up.

  
Though he recalled reading from somewhere in one of his many many books that dwarves were hardy, enduring folk who were virtually invulnerable to the diseases of men ( _and hobbit_ s), Bilbo had not dared to take any chances with the dwarflings that now found themselves, whether for ill or good, in his care and had  lit a flame, large and blazing,  that  would probably not have been remiss in a dwarrow forge ( _in Bilbo's humble opinion, of course_ ). 

And surely enough Bilbo had noticed that, after he had-

 

... bathed and scrubbed clean, both a delighted, gurgling Kili and a stubborn, unwilling Fili _(Bilbo had come out of that venture with a new appreciation for the great dwarven strength and as sodden and grumpy as the older dwarrowling)_ ,

...changed the children into his old clothes,

 _(_ _Bilbo remembered to send a quick prayer of gratitude to his mother for her past obsession with cataloguing and preserving his faunthood accoutrements, for he was able to find somewhat temporary clothing for both children, including nappy cloths for Kili though Bilbo's shorts were a bit generous on the waist and a little high in the leg for Fili-the boy was unnaturally proportioned and far too thin for hobbit sensibilities for that matter!_ ),

... and fed both children a filling yet simple meal of bread and rewarmed meat and vegetable broth ( _he had somewhat gathered from Fili's rather erratic and baffling explanations, that Kili was capable of eating solids even though he was yet unweaned_ ) ,

 

\-  that the children had settled much better when he had them retire to the parlour and set to rest before the blazing heat of the bright fireplace;

...that is, at a safe distance of course, and with a fireguard between them to boot! 

Even though they were dwarflings, and could probably handle heat better than, say, a hobbit, _(if the rumours on dwarves were to be believed_ )  Bilbo was not mind-addled enough to risk the chances of the baby falling into the fire!

Regardless, he had been delighted to note that having a raging fire ready, had been a good idea after all!

 

Now, he sat with his pipe, his mouth forming  and shaping  rings of smoke as he breathed out. He watched them as they rose into the dim light of the fire, mesmerised by their movement, for a while.

Soon, however, his eyes began to shut, soothed by the rhythmic  breaths and snuffles emerging from the dwarrowlings who lay fast asleep on the floor by his feet.

The young siblings were curled and tangled up together on an old fur rug Bilbo had laid down for both to  play on,  along with the toys Bilbo had dug up from his old nursery earlier on  that evening. Bilbo had been reluctant to move the children when he'd noticed them waning and sure enough, a few moments after when they'd drifted off to sleep,  he had contented himself to leave them as they were.

The little ones had seemed so worn out by their ordeal that Bilbo had felt the desire to grant them some semblance of uninterrupted reprieve, as he rather suspected they had not received much of that for quite some time.

 His parlour would still be warm  come the morning and the younglings seemed comfortable  enough as they were, therefore, the hobbit  had seen no need to disturb them . In anycase, it wouldn't be the first Bilbo had fallen asleep in his chair so all would be well.

To the fly on the wall, the hobbit appeared to have joined his young guests who were now deep into the realm of Irmo. However, nothing could have been more further from the truth.

The cogs in the hobbit's mind whirled and turned, as his thoughts became engaged with the recounting and evaluation of the incredulous event(s) that had occurred to him that day.

 

 Unsurprisingly, chief among his reflections of the day, was the  shocking and unbelievable reality of his sudden and unpremeditated acquisition of a pair  of dwarrow young.

 

 

  **Just what exactly, in Eru's name, was he going to do about that?!!!**

 

 

* * *

 

_**Earlier on in the day :**_ (dusk)

 

_**Contrary to the rather negative (** and quite savage, to be frank **) reception Bilbo had received from the young dwarf, the hobbit in reality, found that he did not have much to do, in the manner of coaxing or cajoling, to win the older dwarfling over.**_

  
_**Subsequent to Bilbo making his presence known to the younglings, and facing the true and high possibility of being gutted alive by a person no taller than the average honey badger was long - the hobbit, who was well known (** and disliked by some **) for his sharp wit, was quick to note that on much closer examination, the older child was younger that he initially thought (** it was the damn beard that kept vexing him! **)**_

  
_**Why , the lad no older than a babe barely out of his toddling years, for all he scowled and grimaced like a cantankerous old man .** _

 

_**And Bilbo knew exactly how to deal with a child of that age!** _

 

_**(**...or at least he hoped he did, considering his knowledge and experience... though vast... was strictly limited to the care of hobbit young.. **)**_

 

 _ **With...**_ BRIBERY!

 

 _ **… yes, yes... Bilbo was not too proud to admit that he had survived many a fauntling -sitting (** and older, should-know-better-adult hobbit-sitting...Aldagrim Took and Rory Brandybuck really!_ _**),**_

_**...with the use of baked treats and exciting stories, as incentives for good behaviour from his impish charges.**   _ _**And he would love to see anyone who disagreed with his handling methods, so he could tell them exactly where to go and suck on a lemon, thank-you-very-much !** _

  
_**He was the favourite amongst the many Shire faunts and no one in their right mind, not even Lobelia, dared to offend the Shire's best childminder if they knew what was good for them.** _

_**It so happened that many-a household in the Shire had more than their fair share of younglings running afoot, getting into trouble more often than it  was healthy for their parents peace of mind and limited oft-tried patience.** _

**_Therefore, many  homes were reliant and grateful for an extra pair of hands to assist in the chaperoning of their young, and_** **_Bilbo happened to be that 'rare to find ' pair of hands, with the added  advantage of being well received by both faunts and parents alike._ **

**_In Bilbo's_ ** _(priv_ _ate)_ **_humble opinion, with all the begetting the Shire folk regularly and exuberantly practised, he found it no real surprise that they were drowning in fauntlings._**

  
**_Yet that was and, would always be the way of the Shire._ **

 

 **_Nevertheless, the idea to bribe the lad with his grandmother's  famous shortbread biscuits which she had snuck (_ ** _Bilbo made a mental note to remind himself to give his grandmama a big hug the next_ _time he saw he_ _r_ ** _) into his jacket's pocket as he'd been leaving the Great Smial in Tuckborough,_ **

  
**_(_ ** _...and , he had been saving them for his evening tea later, * sigh..._ **_)_ **

**_....worked like a charm._**

**_Bilbo had the little lad literally eating out of his hands._ **

  
**_When Bilbo had slowly (_ ** _no need to for one to get themselves accidentally skewered due to unnecessary haste_ **_) withdrawn the still warm cloth wrapped package of treats from his jacket's inner pocket, t_** ** _he child's curiosity had been piqued by his actions;  though the dwarfling had maintained his defensive stance against Bilbo, his small  body firmly planted and knife still aimed at Bilbo's abdomen._**

**_Bilbo had been surprisingly pleased  and even a little proud to note that the little one kept himself placed between Bilbo and the baby, serving as a barrier to protect the younger dwarfling._ **

**_The boy was an honourable and loyal child and that somehow pleased the hobbit to realise._ **

**_In any case, it  was the delicious smell of melted butter and sugar, wafting from Bilbo's curious secret parcel, and carried to the child by a sudden and convenient autumn breeze, that cemented Bilbo's victory and had the boy completely ensnared._ **

  
**_The dwarfling's diminutive stocky frame straightened from its defensive crouch as a dazzling smile, (_ ** _complete with missing top front teeth_ **_) coyly erupted on his small whiskered face - utterly catching Bilbo off-guard and rendering him equally ensnared by how lovely and enchanting it was._ **

  
**_The knife that had been clutched in the boy's small stubby hand, cluttered to the ground, now all but forgotten ._ **

  
**_The little boy's big blue-grey eyes followed Bilbo's hand, that which held the biscuits, transfixed  and filled with such longing that Bilbo could feel his recently warmed heart being torn asunder ._ **

  
**_If it was not evident from the ruffled yet surprisingly noble appearance of the child, it was the look of naked hunger in the boy's countenance, that made it piercingly clear to Bilbo that the little boy was and had been starved cruelly._ **

**_And that, to Bilbo was the most heinous act any being could commit to another, let alone to a vulnerable child!_ **

  
**_For the first time, perhaps in his entire life, Bilbo felt an immense and all consuming hatred for another being.  Hate for the unknown maltreater of these children, be they their sire (_ ** _which was too atrocious a notion to even entertain_ **_) or  another._ **

  
**_His ire against them felt so great indeed, his vision suddenly blurred into a red haze of fury._**

**_And h_ ** **_e would have continued to work himself into a state, oblivious to urgency of the needs of the two children before him ,  if  his  tumultuous thoughts had not been abruptly and rather pointedly interrupted..._ **

 

**_“Wass'at ?” a small voice piped._**

 

**_And  as Bilbo looked  dazedly  down before him , he saw that the boy was pointing at the cloth parcel in his hand._ **

 

**_He looked down at his hand and remembered the biscuits_ **

****

**_"Aaah...these?" he answered sheepishly, as he raised  hand  holding the clothed package._ **

**_He felt rather ashamed for getting caught up in his thoughts whilst dangling food before hungry children._ **

**_T_ ** **_he boy nodded shyly in assent, as his eyes looked imploringly into  Bilbo's._ ** **_Bilbo knelt down before the boy as he unwrapped the cloth  and revealed the treats to the child, whose body in turn had shifted towards Bilbo to have a closer look._ **

**_"These, my boy are shortbread biscuits," the hobbit explained kindly as he took a handful of the finger shaped biscuits out from their wrapping,_ **

**_"...would you like some?"_ **

 

 

**_Tbc...._ **


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaos becomes Bilbo's life.

He only had to look at his oldest friend, as they entered the room, to realise something terrible had happened. He was half way up from his seat when the disheveled white haired dwarf shook his head to stop him

"Um ...you definitely need to sit down for this one laddie..."

" Why?" he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the odd request.  The older dwarf refused to meet his eyes, his large callused hand  rising to  stroke his beard in  an agitated manner... which, in itself was a great cause for concern .

In fact, it was so out of nature and disturbing to see his friend in such a state that he found himself obeying and sitting down in spite of himself.

"A raven has...um j-just arrived ..." he started shakily.

This, more that anything caused a ball of fear to form within the younger dwarf's gut.

  
His friend, ever eloquent and unflappable in the direst of situations....could barely string a few words together.

"Well...out with it!" he demanded impatiently, and maybe more harshly than he'd intended... but to be fair, his nerves were fraying and he didn't like the sense of foreboding that was growing in the back of his mind..

Fortunately, before he could feel too guilty about using such a tone on one of his most trusted friends and advisors,  the older dwarf seemed to come to a decision within himself , taking a steadying breath and squaring his solid frame to finally _**finally**_ meet his eyes for the very first time since he'd entered his private office.  
With a strong and steady voice, Balin, Chief-Advisor to the throne of Erebor declared the very words that threatened to tear Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, Prince Regent, Crown Prince and heir to the throne of Erebor's, world apart.

 

" It's Dis."

...

"Something has happened."

 

 Dis!?

 

Of all the things he'd been expecting to hear from Balin... a dragon attack for one ( _like the one that had occurred during the days of his grandfather Thrain's reign over Erebor_ ), or even an orc invasion; this  was the last...and definitely the most dreadful situation he would ever have anticipated, let alone dared to imagine...ever!

Dis and her husband Vili had sent him a raven a few months prior, informing Thorin and the rest of their family and friends about their decision to travel with their young ones to Erebor to celebrate Durin's Day.

Apparently both husband and wife had deemed Kili old and steady enough to travel the long distance and  Dis, more than anything, greatly desired to see her family again as it would be the first time the princess would visit her maternal home since marriage to her **_one;_** a gifted, but common stonemason and miner from the Blue Mountains, ten years before. 

( _That had been a rather interesting, **and,** almost bloody affair!_ )

Also, it would be the very first time the little princes would be visiting the kingdom of Erebor, asboth  had been born in the Blue mountains, amongst their sire's folk .

And, although it was rare for dwarves with young ones to travel ( _dwarves were famous for being obsessively secretive and possessive over their treasures, of which their young were the rarest and greatest!_ ),  both Dis and her Vili were quite formidable warriors,

( _his sister relatively unbeaten when it came to handling a broadsword, with only a select few, such as Thorin  and Dwalin, superior to her in her chosen weapon_ )

..and had reassured him that they would be travelling with a group of dwarves; tried and tested in battle and loyalty.

In addition , his Dis, who had always possessed an astute and sharp wit, had planned and checked, then rechecked a few more times, their course of travel and the distribution their provisions with such care and precision, that  even Thorin  ( _the worrier of the family_ ) was relatively mollified .

In a missive, sent to Erebor a few days before their set departure, Dis had provided him a breakdown,  detailing  all information pertaining to their travels; the route they would be taking to reach the Lonely Mountain ( _she'd even taken care to use script only knownand used by the royal family of Durin and a very select few of their retainers who had proven unquestionably loyal to the crown_ ) and a rough estimate of how long their journey would take.

Her caravan would cut through the land of the halflings ( _a supposedly fussy and ridiculous folk Thorin knew and cared little for_ ) to join the Great East Road, passing through the human town of Bree, and then stopping to replenish supplies in Rivendell;

 ** _'....Yes...yes nadadel'," she'd written,' I'm very much aware of  the great revulsion you and the rest of our boneheaded brethren hold for the elves, but as you very well know..._ ** I  do not ** _. In fact , I hold Lord Elrond in the highest regard and we both happen to be very good friends. I'm going to take him up on his offer  to give us some of his warriors (which will include his beloved sons,no less)  as escorts to accompany us over the Misty mountains and through the Mirkwood forest. And,  before you burst a blood vessel, I know my company has many experienced  and talented warriors who would wipe the floor  with any enemy that would try and mess with us , but you know  how the Misty Mountains  can be unpredictable, even at the best of times. It would give  me great peace of mind if there was extra security, especially as we will be travelling with Fili and Kili (_** _you_ _will be happy and proud to know that Vili hated and protested the plan to include the elves as much as any of you would've had you been here_ ** _) ..._**

 Thorin, like most people,  knew that the halfling lands were under the protection of the King of Men and his Dunedain rangers, of whom the hobbits were somewhat subjects;  and one would be  a great fool indeed,  or in possession of a death wish, to dare cause havoc in those lands.

In addition, the Great East Road was a well travelled and highly guarded route, so the Prince of Erebor had no choice but to  accept, and also feel a little bit proud of Dis' plan ( _even the bit involving the damn pointy eared weed-eaters_ ).

 He, himself would have made for the Iron Hills, then across from there to Erebor, yet he could see the wisdom of his sister, in choosing the shorter and relatively safer route

So, instead of fretting, he along with his father, and brother,Frerin,  who both had  been  extremely delighted by the news of  their beloved  Dis' return home, had immediately started preparations to hold the grandest and most spectacular Durin's Day festival ever witnessed in the entire history of the kingdom.  

As a result,  Erebor currently buzzed in a  state of anticipatory and flurried activity, its citizens...the royal family in particular, working very hard to ensure that everything would be ready and perfect in time for when the princess  and her entourage would arrive....

..oh, and of course...  for the Durin's Day as well.

But now...

....now, instead of catching up on his paperwork so that he would have some free time to spend with Dis and her family,  he was sat in his office, a cold lump of dread setting heavy in the pit of his stomach, waiting to hear news about his sister.

News that had made Balin, strong and imperturbable Balin, look fragile and lost... like he could collapse at any moment.

  
" What of Dis? he asked hastily, wanting desperately to know but fearing the answer,

"Balin...what has happened to my sister?"

 

There was a beat, mere seconds that felt like an eternity, where his very world hung by a thread, before his friend found the words to answer him.

"Her caravan was ambushed a mere week after they'd set off from the Blue Mountains..."  the answer, given in a voice so faint, as if Balin  feared and was pained by his own voice,

"Dis and the boys are missing..."

 

It felt like the very foundation of the earth, wrought by the Maker to be steady and sure, were ripped so suddenly,  from under  his feet and nothing made sense.

 Dis..!

Vili..!

Fili and Kili...?!

His kin!!

Ambushed, missing...?

How?

Wait...  if they had been attacked a week away from Ered Luin, then did that mean the ambush had occurred within the lands of the halflings?

But were not those lands the safest and the most protected?

How then and why?

Who would dare...?!!

All these questions and feelings flooded his mind  in a swarm of great chaos and mayhem.

His vision blurred as Balin's words looped over and over again in his mind.

Inexplicable anguish, rage and despair rose and fought to erupt from within him and he could barely hold on to his senses.

His hands itched for his swords and his whole being bayed for blood! 

 

"Thorin...Thorin..."

 

Balin's voice barely penetrated his tumultuous thoughts, as his friend shook him in an attempt to bring him back.

It sounded defeated, apologetic and pitying...and he found that in that very moment,  he hated it.

 

"There is more..." Balin added,  voice heavy and laced with sadness.

 

More? his unravelling mind protested

How could there possibly be more? 

 

"Apart from Dis and the children, we believe the rest of her company were slain and..."

 

Another beat, in which Thorin thought  nothing but pain and how he couldn't possibly feel  any more worse that he was feeling in that moment .

 

"..Vili was amongst them, Thorin. He was slain ..." choked Balin, tears streaming down his weathered hardy face, "...he's gone laddie!"

 

He'd been wrong. 

His heart was torn and bleeding, and the tear was excruciating!

 

 Thorin roared!!!

 

 

**Bilbo**

 

It took less than  four days for Bilbo became talk of the whole Shire.

He'd tried to keep the boys a secret, but very early in he had to admit to himself that that venture had been doomed to fail from the beginning

News travelled fast amongst hobbits, so it really was no big surprise.

Just one instance of Blossom Brockhouse noticing a gurgling Kili on his hip;

( _though the Bilbo had tried to hide the babe by attempting to maneuver the side of his body which held the babe behind the partially open door... a_   _rather a foolish idea considering how Kili was a particularly squirmy, loud and **very** strong babe who took most of Bilbo's strength just to keep ahold of) _

...and Fili clinging to his breeches with a  scowl pasted on his jam covered face when she'd called to deliver some bread he had ordered from her father's shop a couple of days after he'd acquired the youngsters; for Bilbo to be quite certain that the whole village would know  about the latest guests residing at Bag End.

He should have known, considering that after Lobelia, Blossom and her mother Jacinta  happened to be the biggest gossips around their side of West Farthing; though the latter two were so very sweet and lovely and, unlike the former, not in the habit of intentionally spreading rumours with malicious intent .

Still, he knew that by midday that day, everyone in Hobbiton  at least ( _Brickhouse's bakery was very popular, even when most hobbits more often baked their own goods_ ) , would have been made aware of his situation.

Only this time he neither had the time nor energy to be flustered or bothered by the idea that everyone would be in possession of some juicy information pertaining to his  private affairs, and that many callers would arrive, soon enough,  unannounced to confirm and poke their noses where they did not belong.

It was inevitable, considering the inquisitive ( _nosy more like_ )nature of hobbits and he even accepted it ( _though it didn't mean he had to like it_ )

He could very well understand people's  curiosity, bearing in mind the fact that, had this happened to someone else, his own boundless curiosity  would have had him being  one of the very first people to call and investigate ( _even if it was rude_ ).

However, after spending three consecutive sleepless nights soothing and comforting a traumatised child and his unweaned baby brother from nightmares caused by whatever had happened to to them before they came to Bilbo, as well as from clearly missing their mother ( _if Fili crying out **"amad"-** which Bilbo took to mean mother- repeatedly in his sleep was any indication_ ) had his patience and hobbit sense of propriety and care running very thin indeed.

He pitied the unfortunate hobbit who would be the first to call. 

 

 _ **The first night had been heartbreaking**_.

  _He had fallen asleep before the fire in the parlour with the children snuggled together by his feet . Somehow, he had unexpectedly nodded off after spending long  moments pondering and compartmentalising the events of the day, only to be awoken suddenly and quite jarringly by a piercing wail,  which in turn had him flailing out of his seat in a pile of twisted limbs and mind numbing panic._

_It took him a moment to remember where he was and, embarrassingly, a little longer to remember his little guests._

_Light from his lamp had gone out at some point during the night, but he could still make the shapes of the two small figures before him by the still glowing embers of the fire ._

_Kili was on his stomach, wriggling  and when he raised his face, his eyes were open  and the reason Bilbo could tell, in the very dim light,was because, to his great surprise,  Kili's eyes were very much like those of a cat... glowing in the dark._

_Well, at least that answered his curiosity on  the rumoured (_ now proven _) dwarven gift of night-sight._

_In any case, though Kili was awake and clearly distressed, the wail had not come from him but from his brother, who was sobbing, curled away from his sibling  with his small compact body  bundled up very tightly in a foetal position._

_He was shivering and shaking_ _, though  he appeared to be still asleep ._

_Bilbo's heart broke._

_Kili  seemed to be trying to crawl to his brother, as if sensing his distress and kept looking back and forth from Bilbo to Fili as if urging the adult to do something. Bilbo could just about make out his fingers wriggling furiously in  what appeared to be a repetitive pattern. The motion niggled something in the back of his mind...something he'd read perhaps, but before he could chase that , Kili let out a  whimper as if he too  was about to cry._

_Bilbo needed no further urging. He hastily got to his feet  and fumbled around in the dark for his tinderbox ._

_Soon he had the room in a soft golden light._

_Kili had rolled onto his back in the meantime, though his eyes followed Bilbo's movement, as the hobbit carefully sat himself down on the rug by the children's heads, his legs folded. Fili was still whimpering and with the aid of the lamps light, Bilbo was distressed to note tears streaming down from the child's tightly sealed eyes. The poor dear seemed to be caught in the throes of a terrible nightmare._

_He caught himself  before he reached out to touch, as memories of their earlier encounter reminded him of  how Fili might react if touched._

_Bilbo did not care to be assaulted by a fearsome  youngling  battling night terrors._

_Lost for what to do, he looked to  Kili, as if the babe had all the answers. Kili met his gaze steadily, with a look that seemed far too old for an infant, only to then gurgle at him arms  raised, clearly stating his desire to be lifted, which Bilbo promptly obliged._

_Just as Kili settled in Bilbo's lap,, Fili let out another heart breaking cry, "Amad!"... and Kili whimpered  in reply,  his big brown eyes  looking up to Bilbo in distress and little bit, in reproach; as if they were saying..." why are you not helping my brother?"_

_Still lost on what to do, Bilbo began to sing._

_He sang a lullaby his mother used to sing when he was young_

_He pressed Kili  close to his breast as memories of her lovely voice, her pretty smile and her callused but warm hands came to his mind , bittersweet and still painful._

_He sang as he remembered how that song, along with his mother's scent, lavender, lemon blossom and the earth after rain,  soothed him to sleep when he had fallen ill  or felt restless as a child._

_He sang, as he remembered her thin frail hand as  it clutched his, as he felt her life ebbing away, her face still the prettiest he'd  ever seen but drawn and tired. Yet she had sung to him   her voice dry and raspy, yet still sweet to his ear_

_...rest now my little one,_

_in the arms of Irmo_

_Dream many dreams aplenty_

_of light and winsome beauty_

_Be refreshed ,_

_your mind renewed_

_For when you wake ,_

_your sight be clear_

_To see my love for you my dear..._

 

_As the last words drifted, his mind still ensnared  by his memories, Bilbo  was  startled out of his trance  by a  rather loud snore._

_He looked down to see one of Kili' small hand clutching his shirt rather tightly, the babe having maneuvered  the rest of his small body to burrow deeply into Bilbo's bosom while the hobbit had been lost in his memories._

_Kili, fast asleep produced rather powerful snores, to be expected from an infant._

_However, more surprising was the sight of Fili's body curled round Bilbo's folded leg, his hand clutching  his baby brother's other hand.  Bilbo was pleased to see that the boy was no longer crying and he seemed  to be dreaming better dreams, his face relaxed and smooth, cherubic in its loveliness._

_Bilbo examined this new set up and found that the way he was sat and positioned was rather uncomfortable; the dense weight of Kili's body making his lover limbs , where they were folded numb._

_Yet he would happily bear the suffering._

_Valar only knew what the little ones had been through, and why they had come to Bilbo._

_But to him they had come , and Bilbo swore there and then  that he would do give all he was to_ _protect them  from harm or discomfort again._

_And everyone knew, a Baggins always kept his word!_

 

_tbc..._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update was intended for Christmas, but life and my plans rarely work out the way I intend them to.  
> In any case, here it is , in its flawed state... but I just had to get it out before RL gifted me with some more distractions. If I haven't mentioned before, this is a world in which Isildur did what he was supposed to have done in the first place, the one ring is gone, though the rings of power still exist, but not as strong as they were. Orcs, and the spirit of Sauron still exist, and Gondor has its rightful king, Arathorn II


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo and the boys...and someone comes to visit

Astonishingly, Lobelia was not to be the first hobbit to call on Bilbo a few days later

Though the current guest, who sat in  what seemed to be the only free and clean space( _the kitchen)_  in his Hobbit hole,  was infinitely more pleasant and  far more welcome than Lobelia would ever have been;  Bilbo still felt very anxious as he served his grandmother some honey and lemon tea accompanied by  a plateful of lemon drizzle slices he'd somehow  _(miraculously)_ managed to bake earlier that morning.

That Kili could barely sit up on his own proper, allowed Bilbo to appraise that particular state of affairs as a saving grace, considering how the elder of his two wards has turned his neat, tidy and organised hobbit-hole into something that resembled the aftermath of  a great battle scene.

( _that is, once the lad had familiarised himself enough with  Bilbo and the hobbit's chronically detestable affliction that had him insisting on  having little growing dwarflings **lords** ...(_ Fili's own words)... _clean at all times!!_ )

Fortunately for Bilbo, Kili had yet to master the art of sitting up,  hence  the concept of  mobility  was non existent to the babe; which was the only reason why Bilbo believed, Bagend still remained standing...

..Valar be praised!

Bilbo could not even contemplate the idea of a moving Kili without breaking into cold sweats! Though the hobbit found that the  the babe did not despise baths as his older brother did, Kili had a frustrating habit of breaking everything his little strong pudgy hands could get a hold of!

That particular morning Bilbo had a moment of respite  as the boys seemed set to sleeping well past what he was beginning to perceive as their accustomed time to rise, seeing as the previous night they had  experienced another bad night of sleep terrors.

Bilbo's heart had broken for the little ones with every whimper _(especially Fili who seemed more affected than his younger brother_ ) , and he had had to stay up and sing  his mother's song for them ( _it seemed to calm them more than anything  else he tried to do_ ) as was now typical for him to do on such nights; however,  but he couldn't help but feel a little bit relieved to be allowed some time to himself - being a hobbit  comfortably habituated to solitude- to build himself up again, stress bake,  as well as to take stock of  the disaster that was now his home

To be frank, cleaning had been first on the agenda of the many things that needed to be done , but Bilbo had found himself too wound up to even think of how -or where- to  even start and consequently he had defaulted to his method of stress relief... **baking!**

He had just finished putting the drizzle on his lemon cake, and entered the frame of mind  to tackle the herculean task of cleaning of his burrow when there was a rather sharp and loud rap at his door that had him cursing up a storm, frightened that the racket would wake the boys up prematurely, seeing as they still slept in his parlour.

He had honestly been prepared to open the door to Lobelia's obnoxious face and had few choice words prepared to unleash at the harpy, only to be caught short by the formidable sight of his grandmother, Laura Baggins, stood outside his door.

...

 "Well...? "

"...are you not going to invite me in Bilbo?" questioned the Baggins matriarch, arching an eyebrow in enquiry when it  seemed like her grandson was frozen in place at his door. One quick discerning eye, showed him to be in a very frazzled state with his usually unruly honey curls , messier ( _if that was even possible_ ) than usual.

Most astonishing of all was her customarily impeccable, proper and fussy Bilbo, who would rather voluntarily have tea with Lobelia Sackville-Baggins to-be, than greet callers in nothing less than his best attire, stood before her still clad in his _stained_ bedclothes!

Her brusque tone, seemed to jerk the young hobbit male into action, as he sheepishly stepped aside for his grandmother

"O-of course not G-gran," stammered Bilbo, as his ears turned pink with shame at the thought of the state of his home and what grandmother would be walking into,"... d-do please come in"

Bilbo was quick to close the door after Laura walked in , but not before he caught sight of quite a few curious gazes and whispers from fellow hobbits  who were supposedly  passing by and minding their own business.

He would bet his best pouch of pipe-weed that  before lunchtime,  rumours of Bilbo Baggins being given a  right telling off by his Grandma Baggins, would be rife  in Hobbiton. He wouldn't be surprised if a  number of the stories of his briefencounter with his grandmother by his door happened to contain a few embellishments.

He could just imagine; 

 

_'ad him by the ear she did ! And with good cause I say..._

_T'aint  proper for a young and single  gentle 'obbit to be caring for youngsters by 'imself. Peculiar youngsters at that! Laura will not stand for that!_

_It's the Took blood in 'im! They're a queer breed 'em lot are, full of  strange ideas about travellin' an' the like. No wonder he took 'em strange creatures in. Well good ole Mistress Laura will  knock some Baggins sense into the lad and straighten 'im  out. In fact, I think i saw  'im rapped a few times with that umbrella of 'ers before she dragged 'im in..._

 

Though originally a Grubb , his grandmother was a Baggins in all but blood. More so, since the demise of her husband Mungo, which in turn made Laura Baggins  the fierce matriarch and avid protector of the Baggins family, particularly when it came to their way of life and  reputation.

She was on par with his Took nan when it came to her sharp tongue and caustic put downs when angered ( _and a taint to the family name was one of the few things that truly made her wrathful_ ) and  Bilbo could only imagine, with dread, how she was going react to his new circumstances.

He didn't want to let his grandmother down as they had always enjoyed a very close relationship with each other, however he knew that if she disapproved of his situation, he would choose disappointing her.

Fili and Kili needed him more that the Baggins family and reputation did. He'd made a promise and Baggins' always kept their promises.

 

Now he sat across from his grandmother in the kitchen sipping nervously at his own cup of tea and nibbling absently at his  lemon slice, waiting  for her to say anything.  She had not spoken, not even once, since she stepped into his home save for accepting his offer of tea and cake.

Bilbo was anything but a fool, so he knew that his grandmother's sharp eye had not missed  a single thing  from the moment  he  navigated her through the hall and towards his kitchen; the chaotic state of his home, his unusual and uncharacteristic state of undress and  most particularly, the two huddled forms in the parlour, who could be seen from the kitchen where they sat, fast asleep by fireplace completely dead to the world and ignorant of the chaos they could potentially unleash into their guardian's  world.

When he felt himself almost crumble from the loaded silence and the heavy weight of the shrewd assessing gaze of his family's matriarch, his grandmother saw fit to put him out his misery

"Well now Bilbo..." started Laura, after taking another sip from her delicate china cup "...what a right old  mess you have gotten yourself into lad."

 

**Survivor**

Zhe made quick time to the town of Bree despite their many injuries.

Satisfied that the princes would be well cared for by the hobbit they'd spied picking them up , the young dwarf had rapidly made the decision to make their way towards the town of men following the Great Eastern Road. There they would  be sure to get provisions, proper  medical care ( _there were a few dwarven traders settled there for the season so they were confident they would find a healer and some of their people there_ ) -Bree folk were used to different folk ( _especially of dwarven ilk_ ) passing through , unlike the sheltered hobbits of the Shire - and perhaps zhe would even be able to send another raven to their Master as well.

Shortly after ensuring, to the the best of their ability in such a limited amount of time, the safety of their princes ( _which meant_   _following the hobbit and the princes to the hobbit's strange home, whilst avoiding unwarranted attention, and sneaking a peek through the strange little window- what they saw had reassured them that the princes were in kind hands_ ) they turned their focus  to dealing with their battered body.

During the ambush, one enemy had managed to get close enough to stab them in their side. Fortunately vital organs and arteries were missed but the wound was deep. In addition, fleeing under pursuit whilst injured and carrying two frightened younglings had not helped  improve their physical condition at all.

However, circumstances being what they were, zhe had to settle for their own shoddy work binding their many cuts and hurts ( _the deep stab wound to their side the most worrying_ ) as best as they could and trust that the bindings would hold and that they would not not bleed out before help could be found. 

On their journey to Bree-town, they made sure not to been seen on the road during the day in case any pursuers were left to follow them, however unlikely that was,

( _they were very good at what they did and of those that had tried  to follow them after Dis handed them her precious boys, most if not all had met rather nasty but deserved ends_

...keeping to the foliage when possible, their dirt coloured clothes and dark purple cloak blending into their surroundings seamlessly.

When it couldn't be helped, they only travelled on the road under the cover of night.

In their line of work, it always paid to be to be extra cautious.

Despite their convoluted way of travelling , it took a mere three days and  four nights of travel to reach Bree. On the fourth night, before them rose Bree-hill and under its western flank nestled alarge village. Towards it they now hurried, that is, as hurried as they could on their dwindling strength, determined to fulfil their mission and also driven by a great desire to have a door between them and the terrors they'd left behind.  

Their dead would be mourned and avenged, they vowed.

Nori, offspring of Dhrori, sibling to Dori and wee Ori and a dwarf of Durin's line , dishounarable to many, would honour to keep this vow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long overdue update, My life has been chaotic, i just couldn't find the time and strength to work on this baby. Things are looking up so im hoping to update a bit more frequently. As usual, no beta so there is bound to be quite a few things wrong. Please let me know and i will try and sort it out. Thanks for staying with this fic xx


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